The present invention relates to a clipping machine for producing sausage-shaped products as well as a method for producing sausage-shaped products.
In particular, the present invention relates to a clipping machine for producing sausage-shaped products, like sausages, formed by a tubular casing material containing a flowable filling material, like food stuff. The clipping machine comprises a filling tube for feeding filling material into the tubular casing material stored on the filling tube and being closed at the front end by a closing clip and a closing device including at least two closing tools, being revers ably movable relative to one another between an opened position and a closed position for placing and closing at least one closing clip for forming a sausage-shaped product.
The present invention further relates to a method for producing sausage-shaped products, like sausages, formed by a tubular casing material containing a flowable filling material, like food stuff. The method comprises the steps of feeding filling material via a filling tube into the tubular casing material stored on the filling tube and being closed at the front end by a closing clip and forming a sausage-shaped product by placing and closing at least one closing clip by a closing device comprising at least two closing tools being reversably movable relative to one another between an opened position and a closed position.
In the practice, it is known that, for example in the production of sausage-shaped products, filling material is fed by a filling machine through a filling tube of a clipping machine into a tubular casing material, which is stored on the filling tube and which is closed at its front end by a closing clip. The tubular casing material is pulled off from the filling tube while being filled. After a predetermined volume of filling material is filled into said tubular casing material, a displacement device with a first and a second pair of displacement elements forms a plait-like portion of the tubular casing material and the clipping machine places and closes at least one closing clip at the plait-like portion by respective closing tools which are reversibly movable towards the plait-like portion. Said sausage-shaped products may contain various flowable materials, e.g., sausage meat, grease, adhesives, sealing compounds or the like. Such a device and a method for producing tubular packing casings and filling said casings in order to produce sausage-shaped products is disclosed in EP-patent 0 908 103.
In the above described manner of producing sausage-shaped products, filling material fed into the tubular casing may be of different kind and consistency. In particular, extreme solvent filling material or a flowable filling material segregating a fluid like water or whey during the filling process may be fed to the tubular casing. Said segregated fluid may be accumulated inside of the tubular casing material stored on the filling tube by entering the casing break device by the capillary attraction. The fluid accumulated inside the tubular casing may lead to a deformation or damage of the casing material or to an irregular pull-off of the casing material from the filling tube. Moreover, in case that said fluid will be fed into the sausage-shaped product, a fluid bubble is formed inside the product, affecting the quality of said sausage-shaped product.